It’s time to take a look at the digital trends that will grow or continue to be massive on the web in 2024. Even in the coming year, there is full focus on many of the strategic trends we have seen over the last few years, such as organic traffic, subject-specific texts, lead generation and conversion. As much as possible, we want our website to work for us around the clock so that we can focus on what we do best; to take care of our customers and to develop our business, our products and our offers.

#1 Story telling, stories that sell

Story telling is big in marketing. Almost a necessity nowadays. We want to be able to relate to the expected transformation and we want to be able to see the “new me” before purchase. Ultimately, that new state is what we pay for, whether we buy knowledge, services or gadgets. And the easiest way to get inspired and to see what that potential “new me” can be, is by being presented with someone else’s journey, someone who has made the same experiences as us. Someone who has been where we are now, but has managed to get out of there and is now where we want to be. That’s the transformation we’re paying for, and that’s why storytelling works so incredibly well. It’s called future pacing and by including story-telling on your website, in your social channels or in your marketing, your brand will feel more relatable and your offers will feel more interesting. Tell your own journey, about how your product came to be or present your customers’ journeys after buying your product.

#2 Focus on the buying journey through sales funnels

There is continued focus on leading potential customers into and through the sales funnel as quickly as possible. Ultimately we are able to lead them through the entire funnel at once, from opening their eyes to the problem your offer solves, to landing that purchase. And if the customer does not want to take the decision to buy on the spot, the next best thing is to get them onto your e-mail list, as a lead. A potential customer who has expressed an interest in what is being offered is several steps closer to a purchase than someone who hasn’t. That’s why pop-ups, offers, freebies and free webinars appear as soon as you enter a website today. It is important to get hold of each visitor in the funnel so that you get access to their inbox. This is one of the given digital trends that will last long term.

#3 Automation

There is much to be gained by reducing your involvement in the sales process and automating as many steps as possible through your digital channel. And the possibilities today are enormous. Most things can be done digitally and as customers we have started to get used to doing the work ourselves. A bit like how IKEA sold to customers to carry and assemble their furniture themselves, we have now gotten used to doing most of the work ourselves when we shop digitally, provided that the right information is available. Many people actually prefer to be able to book appointments without any human contact or having to make phone calls at specific opening hours. We have gotten more comfortable than that. We want to book when it suits us, shop when it suits us and talk when it suits us. And we prefer not to wait, we want what we pay for as quick as possible. Preferably immediate delivery. And if you as a business owner succeed in getting customers through automated processes, you have more time to spend on serving customers and developing better services and products. Simply a win win.

#4 Video content and moving material

Our attention and focus span is getting shorter and shorter with each passing day. That’s probably the simple reason why moving content still trumps everything else on the web. It has to be fast, it has to move, it has to be interesting and it has to be exciting for it to be worth our attention and catch our eye.

Fortunately, creating video content has never been easier than it is now. We all walk around with fully adequate video cameras in our mobile phones, it is possible to edit film easily and for free and the best of all – perfect quality and high-quality advertising film is not even expected by consumers today. The most viewed and popular video clips today are often quite unexpected and holds surprisingly poor quality. The trendiest video shorts are rarely perfect. They have the feel of being filmed by anyone, yet are skillfully executed. The right angles, the right light and the right amateur feel. Kind of nicely filmed angles with cool colors. Or stop motion (a technique that is older than moving film), but smart, modern and a little fun. New techiques, new angles, new ideas. We want to be surprised by what we see. So the most important thing is the feeling that the video evoke in us. The reaction that they give. How relatable it feels. We prefer to feel that we are the ones who can be there, on the other side of the screen. So no matter how you start, just start with video material. It works.

#5 Online courses and digital products

The strongest of digital trends since a few years ago has to be online courses and digital products. Investing in digital products online today is a no-brainer. Regardless of what you sell, the key lies in finding skills, processes or tools (templates, checklists) that in themselves deliver value and then to start selling them digitally. For those who already sell knowledge today, the step may not be as big as for those who sell services or physical products, but even those who think they have maximized their product range and dialed in a well-defined target group, there may be new opportunities. Just lift your eyes a bit and look at the competence you have to offer behind the products. There is always someone who wants to take the same journey you have taken in your business and who wants to learn what you have learned along the way. Find it and sell it. The opportunity will never be better than now.

#6 AI generated content mixed with organic

As digital creators, we cannot escape the presence of AI-generated material, whether we like it or not. But discernment is required here. If we are going to use AI to generate our texts, our images and our content, we need to be careful about what we ask for and what we let go. We need to become experts in describing, ordering, reviewing, adding and removing. I am also completely convinced that we humans have a subconscious sense of when something is organic or auto-generated. Therefore, we need to find a good balance. Using generated content when it adds value or can save us a lot of effort and time, but then complete with our own expertise, add our organic creativity and the human, warm, empathetic, humorous and unique components that AI can never express as well. Remember, perfect is rarely interesting to us humans. It is when it chafes a little that we are most likely to look. And it’s when things are a little bit crooked that we are most likely to take them to our hearts.

Summary – Digital trends 2024

Here are six digital trends you need to keep an eye on if you want to elevate your website in 2024.

• Storytelling
• Sales funnels
• Automation
• Video content and moving material
• Online courses and digital products
• AI generated material mixed with organic

For more ideas on where to strategically take your website in 2024, go read this article on the subject in order to heat up your website even more this year.